[Shadetree930]

The two dreams can be seen as expressions of what Bell is struggling with throughout the course of the story and the change of perspective that allows him to come to terms with his struggle. In the first dream he says his father entrusted him with some money, but he (Bell) lost it. This can be seen as Bell feeling as if he was entrusted with a responsibility and has failed to uphold it. His failure to keep and protect something valuable like the money is analogous to his failure as a law enforcement officer to protect people like Moss and Carla Jean, other civilians, and to make a significant impact on crime in general. This dream explains what is troubling him and that he feels or is afraid that he may be a failure. Because his father is mentioned explicitly it is likely that he may feel he has failed his father, who was also a law-man, on a personal level.

The second dream is a reconciliation of the problem from the first. In the second dream, he says he and his father were riding through the mountains in the old times. His father rode up ahead of him and went on into the cold and dark with some fire. Bell said that he knew when he got to where his father was going, his father would be there waiting for him. This indicates that Bell realizes that his father is waiting for him nonetheless, whether he is a failure or not. The dark and cold would represent the unknowable near future and eventual certain death, and the fire represents comfort, protection and hope. His father carries it onward, and Bell knows he will be waiting with it for him when he joins him in the future. The dream seems to be an encouragement to continue in his dangerous profession, rather than retire. The second dream also indicates that Bell has come to a realization, at least on some level, of the concept that Ellis spoke of in their earlier conversation. Ellis says, "Whatcha got ain't nothin new. This country's hard on people, you can't stop what's coming, it ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity.", meaning that Bell can not expect himself to succeed at the standard he has held himself to, and so it is unreasonable to do so. Bell felt compelled to continue on past a reasonable age and into unmanageable situations in order to uphold the responsibility he felt had been passed down to him. When he realizes he can't do this he feels overmatched and quits by retiring. He had tasked himself with the impossible (in an attempt to live up to his father, or previous law-men, etc.) and blamed himself for failing to succeed. Bell may not realize it consciously yet, but the dreams show that on some level after his talk with Ellis he realized that the world had always been this way and always would be (dark and cold) but that there are sources of refuge and comfort waiting for him.